How to Format a 500G HDD

Hello All, I have a CCTV system with a 500G HDD. Trying to format the HDD using the built in Feature doesn't correctly Format it. I want to remove the HDD and format it using my XP or Vista machine. What do I need to do to allow this?
Thanks in Advance

what is the file format you need? - fat, ntfs, ext3...

Thats what I'm trying to find out from the Supplier without too much success at this stage.

Well, do you have the old drive from it, can you tell what it's formatted as? We don't even know the model or brand of the camera system, so we'd just be guessing.